LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego and UC Irvine will battle for The Big West's top spot on Saturday night at Bren Events Center in Irvine. Idle Thursday, the Anteaters (20-3 overall, 10-1 Big West) hold a one-game lead in the standings over the Tritons (19-4, 9-2). UC San Diego was a 20-point winner Thursday night over third place UC Riverside.
The Anteaters have won 22 straight home games – the longest active streak in Division I. Their last loss at the Bren came to the Tritons two seasons ago (99-91, Feb. 23, 2023). UC San Diego has already won ten games away from La Jolla this season (seven road, three neutral) – second in the conference to UCI. The Anteaters have 12 road + neutral wins.
UC Irvine leads the Division I series between these two teams, 7-2 – including a 60-52 triumph in La Jolla last month. The programs have split in each of the last two seasons, with the road team winning both 2023 meetings and the home teams proving victorious in 2024.
Saturday's game tips at 7:05 p.m. and will air live on ESPNU. The game can be heard on KSDT radio with live stats available on UCSDTritons.com.
DETAILS
Game 24
UC San Diego (19-4, 9-2 Big West) at UC Irvine (20-3, 10-1 Big West)
Saturday, Feb. 8 | 7 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) | Irvine
TV: ESPNU
Stream:
ESPN+
Radio:
KSDT
Live Stats:
UCSDTritons.com
Series Record: UC Irvine leads, 14-3 (UCI 7-2 in Division I)
Last Meeting: UC Irvine 60 at UC San Diego 52 (Jan. 11)
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 19-4
Big West: 9-2
Home: 8-2
Away: 7-2
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W4
TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
| Stat |
UCSD |
Opp. |
| Points |
80.3 |
62.8 |
| Field Goal Pct. |
.461 |
.412 |
| 3-Point FG Pct. |
.350 |
.354 |
| Free Throw Pct. |
.760 |
.717 |
| Rebounds |
34.5 |
33.6 |
| Assists |
15.0 |
11.0 |
| Turnovers |
9.3 |
16.5 |
| Steals |
10.7 |
4.8 |
| Blocks |
2.1 |
3.0 |
ABOUT THE ANTEATERS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 20-3
Big West: 10-1
Home: 8-0
Away: 9-3
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W3
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego travels to Cal State Bakersfield Thursday night. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. from Icardo Center, with a live broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 91, UC RIVERSIDE 71 | Box Score
Five Tritons scored in double figures
as UC San Diego claimed a convincing 91-71 victory over UC Riverside Thursday night inside LionTree Arena. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones dialed in for another team-leading campaign, going 9-for-15 for 28 points, seven rebounds and a block. Hayden
Gray — recently named on the watch list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award — backed up the nomination, matching his career high with seven steals, two blocks and five rebounds over 34 minutes. Tyler McGhie drained three triples and finished with 19, Nordin Kapic added 11 points and six boards, and Justin Rochelin poured in ten in the win.
NATIONALLY RANKED
UC San Diego is ranked No. 7 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25® college basketball poll, matching the Tritons' highest-ever ranking in this survey. Now in its 26th season, the Mid-Major Top 25® is voted on by 31 Division I coaches. The poll is announced every Monday.
NOTHIN' BUT NET
UC San Diego has an NCAA NET Ranking of 52 as of Friday, Feb. 7, highest in The Big West.
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UC San Diego ranks second in Division I with a turnover margin of +7.2. The Tritons have won the turnover battle in 22 of their first 23 games.
MARGIN OF VICTORY II
The Tritons are tops in The Big West with a scoring margin of 17.4. Nationally, UC San Diego's margin of victory sits fifth.
STINGY ON D
UC San Diego leads The Big West in scoring defense, allowing just 62.8 points per game for the season and 64.1 points per game in Big West play. Nationally, the 62.8 points per game allowed is 12th best.
TAIT-JONES TAKES CONTROL
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was named Lou Henson National Player of the Week on Jan. 27. He leads the nation in free throws made (161) and free throw attempts (199). He ranks second in The Big West in scoring at 19.9 points per game. The New Zealand native was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. Last year, Tait-Jones captured Big West Newcomer of the Year honors – the first Triton to win this award – and he was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
UC SAN DIEGO 30-POINT GAMES, DIVISION I
| Name |
Date |
Opponent |
Points |
Game Score |
| Toni Rocak |
Dec. 30, 2021 |
vs. UC Santa Barbara |
34 |
W, 85-83 (OT) |
| Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones |
Jan. 25, 2025 |
vs. CSUN |
32 |
W, 79-54 |
| Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones |
Jan. 18, 2025 |
at UC Riverside |
32 |
L, 85-81 |
| Bryce Pope |
Feb. 24, 2024 |
vs. UC Irvine |
32 |
W, 92-88 (OT) |
| Bryce Pope |
Nov. 22, 2022 |
at George Washington |
31 |
W, 75-70 |
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Lou Henson National Player of the Week, Jan. 27
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Big West Player of the Week, Jan. 27
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 16, Jan. 6, Jan. 20
Tyler McGhie, Lou Henson National Player of the Week, Dec. 23
Tyler McGhie, Big West Player of the Week, Nov. 25, Dec. 23
Tyler McGhie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Nov. 11, Nov. 25, Dec. 23
Justin Rochelin, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 2
Nordin Kapic, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 9, Dec. 30
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie has made 80 three-pointers this season, fifth in Division I. His 3.5 threes per game is tops in The Big West and ranks sixth nationally. McGhie captured conference Player of the Week honors on Dec. 23 and Nov. 25. Last year, McGhie was named the conference's Best Sixth Player and captured Honorable Mention All-Big West recognition.
I'LL TAKE THAT!
Triton senior point guard
Hayden Gray leads the nation with 81 steals and 3.52 steals per game. Gray came away with a career-high seven thefts in the Tritons' win at USD (Dec. 21) and matched that total in a victory over UC Riverside (Feb. 6).
HEAD COACH ERIC OLEN
After leading the Tritons to a second place finish in The Big West and more than doubling the team's win total from the prior season,
Eric Olen captured Big West Coach of the Year honors and was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award. Now in his 12th season as head coach, Olen has transformed the program. He is the program's all-time leader in victories.
In Division II, Olen led the Tritons to three California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season titles, four consecutive CCAA tournament crowns over seven seasons. In Division II, he posted a .740 winning percentage, and he was named NABC West Region Coach of the Year for the first time in 2019-20 after leading the Tritons to a 30-1 record and the top seed in the NCAA West Region.
Olen's career coaching record stands at 229-118 (.660).
NO SURPRISES: STARTING OFF STRONG
UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup in each of its first 23 games this season – one of four Division I teams to use the same starters every night. Last year, UC San Diego used the same starting lineup in all 33 games. The Tritons were the only Division I team to use the same starting five every time out in 2023-24. Two of last year's starters return:
Hayden Gray and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones.
TRITONS VS. THE BIG WEST
Here's a look at how UC San Diego has stacked up against conference competition since joining The Big West prior to the 2020-21 season:
| Opponent |
Home |
Road |
Neutral |
Total |
Streak |
| Cal Poly |
2-1 |
2-1 |
0-0 |
4-2 |
W4 |
| Cal State Bakersfield |
3-1 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
4-5 |
W1 |
| Cal State Fullerton |
4-1 |
2-1 |
0-0 |
6-2 |
W3 |
| CSUN |
4-0 |
3-0 |
0-0 |
6-0 |
W7 |
| Hawai'i |
1-2 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
2-5 |
W1 |
| Long Beach State |
1-2 |
2-2 |
0-0 |
3-4 |
W1 |
| UC Davis |
1-3 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
2-5 |
L1 |
| UC Irvine |
1-4 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
2-7 |
L1 |
| UC Riverside |
4-2 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
5-6 |
W1 |
| UC Santa Barbara |
3-1 |
2-4 |
0-0 |
5-5 |
W4 |
WHOLE LOTTA POINTS
UC San Diego is one of 11 Division I institutions with five or more active 1,000-point scorers on its roster. Here are the team's current leading scorers (includes games played at other institutions):
HOOPS TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast,
Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and The Big West. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X
@Tritoncast.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
